Caribbean Matters: These women athletes brought home the gold

The 2024 Olympic games are now over, and plans are underway for the next Olympics in Los Angeles, California, in 2028. While over 28 million viewers watched here in the U.S. with billions watching worldwide, I’d like to pay tribute to medalists from the Caribbean, some who won gold for their nations for the very first time.

Though my husband and I are sports fans who regularly root for Team USA, I admit we were elated to see athletes from St. Lucia, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Grenada do their homes proud bringing home gold, silver, and bronze medals. I have left out Cuba and Jamaica from this group, since they have garnered fame, attention, and medals in the Olympics for decades. I was keeping an eye on social media comments on the games, and wasn’t surprised that many posters didn’t even know where St. Lucia, Grenada, and Dominica (which gets confused with the Dominican Republic) are on the map.

The pride in home countries was palpable. Join me in meeting three winners who took home the gold.

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. We are now posting on a new day and timeslot. Hope you’ll join us here every Saturday. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.